If you are fortunate enough to have grandparents still living, you are truly blessed.
Many grandparents are in the midst of either downsizing or starting to think of smaller spaces. This makes gift giving a challenge. It is now more important to attach meaning and thought than to attach ribbons and gift tags. Here are a few ideas to help you.
The Gift of Time
Time costs nothing. If your grandparents are either living at home or in a Senior Living Community, consider creating a coupon book. Coupons could be for a household chore, movie night complete with popcorn, an afternoon of shopping, museum trips or sharing a meal at their favorite diner. If the coup9ons are thought of and decorated by the younger generation, they become even more special. Have fun deciding on the opportunities given by each coupon.
The Family Album
A favorite pastime of grandparents is perusing pictures of their children and grandchildren. If there is already a family album, make a new one. Place captions or amusing stories behind the pictures and provide the grandparents a keepsake they will always treasure.
Memory books are not only pictures but keepsakes such as hand and footprints, poems and the drawings and stories written by the grandkids. A page decorated by a grandchild gives it additional meaning.
Older children may want to create a digital scrapbook. Don’t be hesitant to design a scrap or memory book. Any project by the grandkids will be treasured and shared for a long time.
Photo Frames
All grandparents love pictures of their family. Have an enlargement made of an especially funny or touching picture and frame it. A frame decorated by the grandkids will be endearing to the grandparents. Have young artists in the family use paint, beads, colored paper or perhaps jigsaw puzzle pieces for decoration. Kids enjoy crafting, and this activity gives them a chance to share their own creative styles.
Video Show
Today’s technology enables individuals to play actor and director of their own productions. A homemade video is a project everyone is able to participate in and the efforts will meet a rousing round of applause. Home movies were once common but today videos are able to be made with digital cameras and even smartphones. A movie just for the grandparents may not win an Oscar, but it will be watched over and over by the recipient.
Homemade Gifts
Homemade gifts and cards are not unusual. Such presents bring joy to the creator because of personal satisfaction and joy to the receiver because these gifts are personal. Homemade anything takes time, insight, planning and thought but it is always appreciated.
You may want to encourage your children to make a homemade gift for their grandparents. A hand-knit scarf, a wooden or ceramic bowl, a drawing or even a musical recording are examples of gifts from the heart. Remember, a gift from the heart instead of a store will have value years from now.
Bridge to Better Living realizes the challenge of downsizing material items. Often sentimental value is the key to deciding what stays and what goes when making a transition to a new home. We provide assistance and guidance to our clients who are making these choices when moving to a Senior Living Community. We want your move to be memorable … in a good way. Contact Bridge to Better Living today and start enjoying a new quality of life.